


hug

by HeartonFire



Series: let me kiss your lips so i know how it felt [3]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Gun Violence, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Protectiveness, Short & Sweet, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27580724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartonFire/pseuds/HeartonFire
Summary: A kiss paired with a tight hug, knocking the breath out of the person being hugged.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Karen Page
Series: let me kiss your lips so i know how it felt [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014792
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	hug

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by [joanofarkansass](https://joanofarkansass.tumblr.com) from [this prompt list](https://heartonfirewrites.tumblr.com/post/634505813224996864/50-types-of-kisses-writing-prompts).

Karen leans against the wall of an abandoned warehouse, jotting down notes while she waits for her source. From their hurried conversations on the phone, she’s pretty confident this meeting will give her all the information she needs about the shady new crime boss that’s been lurking in the shadows for months now. He’s very good at hiding from the authorities, and Karen has almost nothing concrete on him yet, but she knows, down in her bones, that this is something that needs to be dealt with.

She hears the scrape of boots against the concrete and looks up, expecting to see her source, a bagman ready to turn on his boss, but instead, it’s Frank.

She hasn’t seen him since the hospital and it takes a second for her to convince herself that he’s really here. Karen blinks a few times, but there he is. A little bruised, but certainly better than the last time she saw him, though that’s not saying much.

“Frank?” she breathes, not sure whether to hug him or hit him.

“What are you doing here, Karen?” His voice is low, gruff, just like she remembered. His eyes narrow as he takes in the notebook in her hand and the heels on her feet.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she says, folding her arms over her chest. Months of anger and frustration are bubbling up, and Karen isn’t sure she can hold it back any longer, not now that he’s here. She’s imagined this moment so many times, seeing Frank again, but now that it’s here, now that he’s here, she can’t remember all the things she wanted to say.

“Tell me you’re not investigating this guy.”

“I could, but I’d be lying,” Karen says, just as Frank tenses.

A bullet rings out and he shoves Karen to the ground. She’s reminded of the time, a lifetime ago now, when bullets slammed into the walls of the tiny apartment she once called home, the first time Frank had saved her life. The pavement is wet and rough against Karen’s exposed skin, but she knows better than to try to move now. Frank’s body covers hers, warm and heavy, and she wonders how many bullets will have to fly around them before she can convince him to stay.

“Stay low,” Frank growls in her ear. “Get out of here. I’ll find you after.”

Karen is tempted to argue. She still has a gun in her purse that she knows how to use, as Frank well knows. But the hard glint she sees in his eyes makes her reconsider. She gives him a sharp nod and moves away in a crouch. It’s been a long time since anyone has shot at her, and the adrenaline pumping in her veins doesn’t subside until she’s several blocks away. Karen leans against the wall of a building, hidden in a narrow alley, to catch her breath. She wonders if Frank really will come find her, or if he’ll disappear again, leaving her to wonder if he’s even alive, if he thinks of her.

“You alright?” a gruff voice says in her ear.

Startled, Karen turns. She’s so relieved to see Frank, whole and unbloodied, that she fists her hands in his coat and tugs him to her for a kiss. It only lasts a second before Karen realizes what she’s done and pulls Frank into a tight hug before he can even react. A tiny grunt escapes him, but his arms settle firmly around her waist and he doesn’t let go.

“You okay?” he asks again, his breath tickling her neck.

Karen nods against his shoulder and hears Frank huff out of a breath. “Are you?” she asks, still not letting go.

“Sure,” he says, shoulders rising in a shrug. “Think I missed something, though.”

Karen pulls away a little to see Frank’s face. He’s a little flushed, eyes tracing over her face like he’s trying to memorize every inch of it. One of his hands comes up to cradle Karen’s neck and he eases her forward. Her eyes flutter closed and this time, she lets herself enjoy it, Frank’s lips soft and gentle when they touch hers. He doesn’t push, doesn’t rush, just kisses her like he’s been waiting for this almost as long as she has.

“Can I buy you a coffee?” he says, forehead against hers when he finally breaks the kiss. Karen nods and watches as a smile breaks over Frank’s face. He presses his lips to her forehead and links her hand with his.

It feels right, to hold Frank’s hand, Karen’s thumb tracing over the scars that cover his skin. It feels right that their first kiss came after they nearly both got killed. It feels right to be here, with Frank, like no time at all has passed. They’ll have to talk about the last few months, figure out where to go from here, but for now, they can have coffee.

It might not ever be perfect in the conventional way, but it’s theirs, and that’s all that matters.


End file.
